Boot or shoe



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE..

BENJAMIN A. PILLOV, OF RICHMOND, VIRGINIA.

BOOT OR SHOE.

l SPECIFIATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 401,060, dated April 9, 1889.

Application filed March 2l, 1888.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, BENJAMIN A. PILLOW, acitizen of the United States, residing at Richmond, in the county of Henrico and State of Virginia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Boots and Shoes; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention has for its obj ects to provide a boot or shoe which shall fit the foot neatly and comfortably, which will be light and durable in construction, and which will be practically impervious to water between the soles and uppers where the two are united, the invention being an improvement upon that for which Letters Patent of the United States were granted to me the 26th day of July, 1887, wherein a sole peculiarly molded, modeled, or shaped to the sole of the foot of the wearer was employed. f

The objects above mentioned I accomplish by the means illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 represents a view of a blank or pattern from which the molded middle sole is formed. Fig. 2 represents a perspective View of said molded middle sole after formation. Fig. 3 represents a bottom view of the said molded middle sole, showing the construction of the same when employed for a stitched shoe. Fig. et represents a transverse sectional view of a stitched shoe, showing the relative positions of the parts forming the .same stitched together.

Referring to the drawings, the letter A indicates a blank of light sole or other suitable leather, which is cut approximately the size and shape of the sole of the foot upon which the boot or shoe is to be worn, but somewhat wider than the foot, as indicated by the portiona outside of the line a', Fig. l, except at the heel, where said outside portion is cut away, leaving the heel portion b substantially the size of the bottom of the heel of the foot upon which the shoe is to be worn. The portion a is slightly skived or beveled toward the edges, so that it may be readily formed or shaped upon the last. The blank thus formed is then soaked in water until saturated,

Serial No. 268,026. (No model.)

and-is then formed upon the last by shaping it to the bottom thereof and turning, working, and fastening the portion a upon the sides of the last, so as to take the contour of the curves of the lower portion of the last, after which the sole is allowed to dry, when it will permanently assume the form of the lower part of the last, resembling somewhat a 6o slipper with the counter at the heel cut away. To form a stitched boot or shoe, and at the same time prevent the entrance of water within the -same through the punctures along the lower face of the sole thus molded or shaped, as before'described, on a line corresponding to the line a', but somewhat inside of the same, is formed a kerf, c, and through the portion d left by the kerf at the outside of the same are punched or otherwise 7o produced a series of oblique laterally-extend- It will be seen that by this construction the 8o stitching-punctures do not extend through the molded sole, and hence no water can find entran ce at this point between the said sole and upper, making the boot or shoe practically impervious, and as the stitches which unite the said upper and molded sole can never come in contact with the ground so long as the outer sole lasts they are subjected practically to no wear, thus producing an extremely durable boot or shoe, and one that will pre- 9o serve its shape as long as the parts hold together.

The letter D indicates the lining of the boot or shoe, which is bent under and secured to the lower face of the insole E by means of a series of stitches, t,which are passed through the inner sole on its lower face without passing through the upper face of said insole, which insole may be stitched, as at t2, or

otherwise secured within the molded sole, roo

thus further providing against the penetration of water to the interior of the boot or shoe.

In my patent of July 26, 1887, hereinbefore The welt h is secu-red to the outer 75 referred to, the edges of the blank were split to torni a lateral flange to which the sole was secured, and the counter was formed integral with the molded sole. Quite a large and heavy piece ot sole-leather was therefore necessary, whereas in the present instance less leather is required for the molded sole, and it may be of thin sole or any other suitable leather. A boot or shoe when made under my present invention will therefore require less leather and be lighter, and is easier to make than when made under my patent aforesaid.

Although having described the middle sole as being' constructed with a kerf and lateral punetures whereby to secure the same in position within the bootor shoe, yet I do not wish to be understood as limiting myself to this particular mode ol? fastening, as any other suitable method of securing the parts togethcr may be employed as will be Vfound to accomplish the desired result.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is- A boot or shoe composed of an upper, outer sole, an insole and lining, and a molded middle sole secured between the inner and outer sole and upper and lining, and composed of a blank eut approximately to the size and shape of the sole of the foot of the wearer, but slightly larger than the saine, except at the heel, which is cut away, and having the extended edges beveled and turned up and molded to the shape of the foot, as described, for the purposes specified.

BENJ. A. PILLOW.

lVitiiesses:

S. TAYLOR EVANs, Riel-IARD W. JoNns, 

